Offseason primer for Vine Valley Athletic League baseball

Reporter’s note: This is the first in a two-part series based on Napa, Vintage,

Justin-Siena, American Canyon, Casa Grande, Petaluma and Sonoma being in the

same league. `Today, the focus is baseball. In a few days, softball will be featured.

You hear the word “change” it can mean a handful of things. It could mean what’s left in your
pocket or something different just to name a few. The sports landscape will feature a big
change here in the Napa Valley.

With another Napa Valley high school baseball season drawing the curtain, let’s peer into what
lies ahead.

The shakeup will be huge next year for four of the six schools. Calistoga and St. Helena

remain status quo in the North Central League III and I respectively.

The change part comes involving Justin-Siena, Napa, Vintage and American Canyon.

Justin will part ways with the Marin County Athletic League, where it has been since

2000. Napa and Vintage will vacate the Monticello Empire League, where each has been

since 1975. American Canyon will leave the Solano County athletic Conference, where it

has been since the school opened in 2010.

Beginning the 2018-2019 school year, the landscape will change dramatically for Napa,

Vintage and American Canyon. To a lesser degree it will change for Justin as well. For

Napa, Vintage and American Canyon, no more trips East on Interstate 80 as the move from

the CIF Sac Joaquin Section to the North Coast Section, unless they preserve any

longstanding matchups between MEL and SCAC combatants. For Justin, unless they retain

any MCAL teams as nonleague foes, no more trips to Marin County. Justin moved from the
SJS to NCS in 2000.

Justin, Napa, Vintage and American Canyon will have Sonoma, Casa Grande and Petaluma

as its league foes. The name of the new league is the Vine Valley Athletic League. By my
ownadmission, I have followed Sonoma, Casa Grande and Petaluma very little because I
have had no reason.

So I decided to research the last ten seasons involving the aforementioned schools. While
that span does not tell the entire story, it is enough of a sample size to gauge a program’s
trajectory.

Here’s a breakdown of the new league and a look at crossover games that took place last

season. The definition of crossover in this context means the aforementioned Napa schools

against their newly acquainted league opponents. Since Napa and Vintage have played each
other continuously as MEL foes, I exclude that history. I do the same for Casa Grande,
Petaluma and Sonoma for similar reasons.

AMERICAN CANYON

The Wolves’ history as a varsity program only dates to 2012 since the school opened in
August 2010. The first year involved only Grades 9 and 10. The following year juniors were
added and one year later all four grades were incorporated.

American Canyon has compiled a 70-98-4 record in its seven seasons, all under Matt Brown.
The record is skewed by going 14-34-2 over the course of 2012-2013. The Wolves have
reached the postseason three times in the past five seasons with two victories along the way.
In head-to-head matchups, the Wolves went 1-4-1 against Vintage, 2-6 against Napa, 1-1
against Justin, 0-1 against Sonoma and 0-2 against Casa Grande. The Wolves have not played
Petaluma.

CASA GRANDE

As a program, the Gauchos have been anything but slouchos. Casa Grande has amassed a
216-78 record the last ten seasons. The previous nine were under former head coach Paul
Maytorena. The winning tradition continued in 2018 under first-year head coach Chad
Fillinger, going 20-9 and winning the North Bay League title.

To further illustrate Casa Grande’s consistency the last ten seasons, the Gauchos have made
the NCS playoffs every season, going 14-10 in the postseason. The deepest runs came in
2013 and 2017, both times reaching the NCS Div. II title game before losing to Campolindo
and Arroyo respectively. Casa Grande has recorded at least 20 wins in a season six times in
that span, including a 27-3 mark in 2013 and 24-5 in 2017. In head-to-head matchups, Casa
Grande is 2-0 against American Canyon, 5-1 against Vintage and 3-0 against Napa.

JUSTIN-SIENA

On the surface, the Braves’ 155-116-1 record the last ten seasons is solid but also checkered.
Justin went 46-34-1 under Scott Wright (2009-2011) with two NCS Div. IV playoff
appearances. The Braves went 3-2 in the postseason but took a step backward in 2011, going
11-14. The 2012-2015 seasons were under Allen Rossi The Sequel. Rossi coached the Braves
from 1999-2006. In 2012-2015, Justin went 80-34 with four playoff appearances and two
NCS Div. IV titles along with two trips to the semifinals.

The Braves went 15-14-1 in Greg Evans’ lone season in 2016, reaching the NCS Div. IV title
game before losing to Arcata. Justin has gone 14-34-1 the last two years under Jeremy Tayson.
The Braves, however, made a splash in the NCS Div. III playoffs as the No. 13 seed, upsetting
No. 4 Cardinal Newman. The Braves are 2-0 against Sonoma and 1-1 against both Napa and
American Canyon.

NAPA

The Indians compiled a 149-128 the last ten seasons, all under Todd Pridy, who resigned at
the end of the 2018 campaign after 17 years. Though Napa had losing seasons in 2010 (6-21),
2013 (13-14) and 2016 (12-16), the last ten seasons have mostly been a success.

The Indians won sole possession of the MEL title in 2009 and a share of it in 2012. In that ten
year stretch, Napa qualified for the postseason seven times, earning three victories along the
way. The Indians also had two seasons eclipsing the 20-win plateau and went 18-11 in 2017.
In head-to-head matchups, Napa went 6-2 against American Canyon, 1-1 against Justin, 0-3
against Casa Grande, 1-0 against Sonoma and 0-1 against Petaluma.

PETALUMA

The Trojans have been a picture of consistency the last ten seasons with a record of 154-94.
Petaluma went 118-75 under Paul Cochrun from 2009-2016 and 36-19 the last two years
under the guidance of James Selvitella, including a Sonoma County League title this season.

The Trojans have not had a losing season in that span but finished exactly .500 with a 13-13
mark in 2013. Petaluma has been to the postseason in eight of the last ten seasons, going 5-8.
The Trojans’ deepest playoff run in that stretch came in 2012 when reaching the NCS Div. II
semifinals before losing to Dougherty Valley. That season Petaluma reached the playoffs as
a No. 6 seed and upset rival No. 3 Casa Grande 13-3 along the way. Petaluma defeated Napa
4-3 in a 2017 matchup.

SONOMA

The Dragons have recorded a mark of 164-121 the past ten seasons, 2009-2017 under former
head coach Don Lyons. In Ian Slaney’s first season, 2018, the Dragons went 10-12 and
reached the NCS Div. III playoffs. Sonoma has reached the postseason eight of the previous
ten seasons, going 7-7 in playoff competition.

The Dragons reached the NCS Div. III semifinals three consecutive years from 2011-2013. In
2012 and 2013, Sonoma lost to the eventual champion, Acalanes. In head-to-head matchups,
the Dragons are 2-6 against Vintage, 1-0 against American Canyon, 0-2 against Justin and 0-1
against Napa.

VINTAGE

The Crushers went 152-114-2 between 2009-2018. The 2009 season was under Cam Neal, the
previous nine have been under Rich Anderson The Sequel. Anderson was also the Crushers
head coach from 1992-2006.

In the aforementioned ten-year span, Vintage reached the SJS playoffs six times, recording
wins in 2014 and 2015. The program enjoyed a spike from 2012-2016, going 91-48-1 in that
period. The last two seasons, however, the Crushers have hit a valley in going 23-29. In
head-to-head matchups, Vintage went 6-2 against Sonoma, 1-5 against Casa Grande and 4-1-1
against American Canyon.